Falls, contains six or seven hundred inhabitants. They have a new meeting house, but do not improve it.

"Before I go to Utica, I have concluded to visit Fairfield and Norway. About 3 o'clock I left the river, traveled 8 miles, and called on some of the principal men in Fairfield, and found things respecting religion very discouraging. I offered to tarry and preach the next day, but it was thought yt no people would attend. I find that people are universally in the midst of their harvests, and it is extremely difficult for them to attend lectures. At night I arrived at Norway, 6 miles north of Fairfield.

"Norway, bounded east by Salisbury, west on Canada creek, south on Fairfield. A young gent. by the name of Johnson, has preached in this town several sabbaths, and the people have hired him for 3 or 4 sabbaths to come. But it is in this town, as in all those parts. There is a mixture of Baptists, of Methodists, Universalists and Deists. In the various parts of the town, there is preaching by sectarians of almost all kinds, every sabbath.

"There is one Methodist church, numerous; two Baptist churches, and part of a third; no meeting houses...... The people almost universally inclined to hear preaching, of their various sects. I have concluded to visit this place and several other towns in this quarter, near the close of my mission, should I be able to make it convenient.

"29th July. I this morning left Norway for Utica, and arrived at Utica about 5 o'clock, having traveled 23 miles. I passed through a corner of Schuyler, and found the people to be generally Baptists; from there I passed into Deerfield, upon the Mohawk. There is a considerable congregation of Presbyterians. In Deerfield the people are Baptists, and are vacant."

I will observe in passing, that Norway at this time comprised most of the present town of Newport, and all the town of Russia, and the country north.

On his return from the north part of Oneida county, in September, Mr. Taylor continues:

"24th. Rode to the royal grant, 6 miles; found that in this part of the town of Norway the people are all Baptists, and that they had not appointed a lecture. I accordingly passed on ten miles to another part of the town, called Pottersbush. Here I found a church of 30 persons, and was received with gladness.

25th. Too much fatigued to preach.

26th, Sunday. Preached to about 200 persons-very attentive. Administered the Lord's Supper. After meeting endeavored to settle a difficulty in the church, but could not effect it. Rode 12 miles to visit a dying person, and baptise a child. This town is almost ruined by the methodists and baptists, [I suppose he means so far as regards his own denomination] and the difficulty in the congregational chh has had a very bad influence. The chh is proceeding upon y advice of Mr. Alexander" [the Rev. Caleb Alexander, then having charge of Fairfield Academy], "which I think is very wrong. 2 of the best members of this chh are become baptists in sentiment, and they came forward and stated their difficulty between their consciences and their covenant-and no one in ye chh supposes that they are not conscientious in the matter-and yet Mr. Alexander advised the chh not to dismiss ym, but to proceed to excommunion, and brought the chh to a vote that there was no possible way by which any member could be separated from the covenant only by excommunication. This is what is stated to me by ye most judicious members of the chh, and I think this will be ye ruin of y° congregational interest in this town.

27th. Rode ten miles to Salisbury [county of Montgomery], having previously appointed a lecture this day. Preached to about 150 persons-appearances good. Had a conference in the evening-as many present as in the afternoon. This people, like most others in these parts, is very much. divided, and the methodists prevailing."

The voluntary system of supporting religious institutions, which prevails in this county, is the only one which can be

recognized, or would be tolerated, by a population made up of almost every nation, kindred, tongue and language in the civilized world. The inconveniences of this system are hardly seen and scarcely felt at this day, and we can only hope they may be less, far less, than the evils and inconveniences that have heretofore grown out of systems established by law and supported by governments.

COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY.

This venerable society was organized on the 5th day of August, 1806, at a general meeting of the physicians of the county, held at the Court House, pursuant to an act of the legislature of the state, regulating the practice of physic and surgery, passed April 4th, 1806.

Dr. George Rogers was chosen chairman, and Dr. Westel Willoughby, Jr., secretary, for the day. On canvassing the votes for officers of the society, Dr. Westel Willoughby, Jr., was elected president; George Rogers, vice-president; Andrew Farrell, secretary; and Amos Haile, treasurer.

Drs. Amos Haile, Andrew Farrell, Jonathan Sherwood, Rufus Crain and Isaac Sears, were chosen censors.

The names of the physicians present at this meeting were, Westel Willoughby, Jr., George Rogers, Andrew Farrell, Amos Haile, Abijah Tombling, David Perry, Jonathan Sherwood, John Eastman and Samuel Redfield.

The first Tuesday in January in each year, was assigned as the anniversary of the society. At the annual meeting, held at the court house in January, 1807, the society resolved, that to entitle a physician to become a member of the society, he must either produce a diploma from some medical society in the United States, agreeable to the late law of this state, or a voucher that he is a reputable physician.

Westel Willoughby, Jr., M. D., was appointed a delegate from the society to meet the delegates from the other counties in the state, on the first Tuesday in February, 1807, to form a state medical society.

Drs. Benjamin Hazen, Nathan Harwood, James Hadley, Isaac Sears, Jacob Abrams and William Traver, were admitted members of the society. A committee was appointed to form a code of by-laws, who reported the same at an adjourned meeting, on the 5th of May, following, which were adopted, and ordered to be printed. Dr. Willoughby was requested to deliver a dissertation before the society, at the adjourned meeting in May, 1807. In 1808, at the quarterly meeting in May, a seal was ordered to be procured for the use of the corporation; and at the anniversary meeting in January, 1809, the meetings of the society were reduced from four to two annually, and a fine of one dollar imposed for nonattendance.

Having thus briefly noticed the establishment of this highly interesting and beneficial institution, I shall continue my historical abstract to the present time, noticing as I pass, any marked or interesting incidents. Dr. Willoughby was continued president of the society, until January, 1816, when Rufus Crain was elected, who held one year, and was succeeded by James Hadley, who also held the office one year, and was succeeded by Westel Willoughby, M. D., in 1818. This year the society passed an order, that the county censors of any incorporated medical society should not proceed to examine a student for a license to practice physic and surgery, unless he produce a certificate of having attended at least one session at one of the medical colleges in the United States or in Europe, after the first day of January, 1818.

Dr. Willoughby held the office of president of the society until January, 1837, when he delivered a farewell address, for which, and for his constant and unwearied exertions for the interest and welfare of the society, a vote of thanks was tendered to him. The society also, by resolution, requested a copy of the address, and also a copy of a communication that day made by him, to be deposited in the archives of the society. In 1818, a vote was taken to apply the funds of the society to increase the library of the medical college at

Fairfield, on condition that its members could have the benefit of the library during the recess of the lectures at the college. In January, 1819, a resolve was passed, that every medical practitioner in the county who was not then a member, be notified by the secretary to attend at the next regular meeting of the society, and connect himself therewith, pursuant to the act passed in 1818.

In January, 1823, an order was passed to apply the funds of the society, in the hands of the treasurer, to the benefit of the College library, in accordance with a previous resolution. The funds afterwards received were also appropriated to the same object. In 1825, the society asked the trustees of the college to pass a resolution, that all the books purchased by its funds should be delivered to the society, when the college should be located in some other place than Fairfield. In 1828, the society adopted resolutions of condolence with the families of Drs. Bryan, Willard and Todd, who died the preceding year, and requested biographical sketches of their lives to be deposited in the archives of the society. The society had not met with a more severe loss in one year. These gentlemen were of high professional repute, and of great personal worth. The society in 1830, had its attention called to evils of intemperance, and resolved unanimously to discountenance the use of ardent spirits; and the annual meetings were changed to the first Tuesday in June, in each year.

In 1831, measures were taken to procure a medical topographical survey of the county, in accordance with a circular from the state medical society. I have not noticed that the several committees, appointed under the resolution, to procure the survey, ever made any reports. Dr. Calvin W. Smith was designated as the candidate to the state medical society, for the honorary degree of doctor of medicine.

The society this year, 1832, took measures to petition the legislature, to restore that part of the revised statutes, regulating the practice of physic and surgery, repealed by